Acetylene-gas-generating lamp.



. Patented Nov. 26,.-|90I. E. N. DIGKERSON.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATING LAIAP.

' (Application filed June 16, 1897.)

NITE TATES ATENI FFICE.

ACETYLENE=GAS-GENERATING LAMP.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 687,299, dated November 26,1901.

7 Application filed June 1897.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD N. DIOKERSON, of No. 253 Broadway, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lamps for Burning Acetylene Gas, of which the following is a full, true, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improvement in lamps for burning'acetylene gas, and especially to lamps of this character forbicycle use.

My invention relates generally to that class of lampsfor which I have previously made application for Letters Patent on the 21st day of May, 1897, Serial No. 637,481.

In the present application I have utilized a principle for maintaining a constant waterlevel and also have adopted a new arrangement of the condenser. 7

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

My invention will befreadily understood from the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a front view of my lamp, partly broken away; Fig. 2, a crosssection through Fig. 1 at right angles; Fig. 3, a cross-section through Fig. 2011 the line m 00; Fig. 4 a front view of a modification, in part broken away; Fig. 5, a cross-section through Fig. 4 at right angles to the view shown in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 a'detail showing the end of the condensing-chamber.

A represents the lamp-body, which may be of any suitable shape and may be provided with a support Z. The lamp may be provided with a lens M and reflector N, as usually arranged.

L represents the burner, of any suitable construction for burning acetylenegas. This is controlled by the stop-cock (I, having handle 0, projecting outside of the casing. Back of the reflector is arranged the water vessel B, havingcap a. This "may be made crescent-shaped, as shown in Fig. 3. From the lower part of this receptacle B projects the water-supply tube f, which delivers into the water-chamber g at about the middle and at about the level at which it is desired to maintain the water-level. The water-chamber g is separated from the gas-chamber D by a horizontal diaphragm is and is also sep- Serial No. 640,980. on; man.)

arated from the lamp by the upper diaphragm Z. The bottom of the gas-chamber Dis arranged to support the carbid-receptacle C, which, as shown, screws in position against the packing. This, however, is not essential. The gas-chamber D may likewise contain a drying-chamber P, which is closed by cap R and which has openings S, communicating with thegas-chamber. This chamber may be filled with any suitable drying materialas, for instance, carbid of calciumor in some instances cotton wool .or a similar material may be employed. The upper part of the drying-chamber P communicates with the condensing-coil 0, located in the waterchamber 9, and this coil againin turn communicateswith the burner L, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In the form shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the drying-chamber is omitted, and the condensing-coil 0 after passing through the water-chamber passes outside and returns again, as shown at 0, to the bottom of the lamp, where it enters the drip-chamber V, which in turn communicates by the pipe W with the burner. .The coil 0 may be filled with shot Y, which tend to separate the moisture which may lodge therein, which returns again to the bottom of the coil.

l/Vater is supplied to the carbid through the capillary tube E, which is supplied from the water-chamber g. It will be seen that the tube E passes through the gas-chamber D and directly connects the water-chamber g with the carbid-chamber O. In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the water-supply is controlled by means of the hollow stem F, having an opening at its upper end and which seats around the perforated nipple G at the upper end of the capillary tube. This valve-tube is vertically movable by the crank K of the stop-cock 01, so thatwhen the gas is turned off, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the water is also shut off. Any excessive gas-pressure will always pass upward throughthetube and escape through the opening I-I,

In Figs. 4 and 5 the capillary tube E is turned into a coil above the diaphragm is, and the upper end of this is likewise elevated and depressed by the action of the stop-cock cl, so that when the gas is turned on, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the upper end of the coil-pipe is below the water-level; but when the gas is turned off it is raised above it. An escapepipe 7t, the lower end of which may be protected with an explosion-preventing gauze, projects into the space above the water in the water-chamber and also into the open air.

m is a drip-cock attached to the drip-chamber V for emptying the same when desired.

The operation of my lamp can now be readily understood. In filling the lamp, the carbid-chamber being removed, water is poured in until it begins to overflow through the pipe 7L. Then the cap a, which is air-tight, is screwed on, and the stop-cock d being turned off water is allowed to escape through the pipe h until the water no longer drips through the pipe E when the lamp is held vertical. The carbid-receptacle O, which, as shown, contains an inner paper tube 1), is then screwed in position. It is preferably half filled with carbid. When the gas is turned on, water will begin to drop upon the carbid, and the gas will be formed. As soon as a pressure, the amount of which will be dependent upon the height of the water-level, exists in the gas-chamber the drip will cease, to be resumed when the pressure diminishes. Meanwhile the gas, which has been dried in the dryingchamber and the condensing-coil, will burn in the usual way at the burner after purging the apparatus of air. As the water-level in the chamber 9 diminishes it will be constantly resupplied from the water-supply vessel B as soon as the level drops below the opening of the pipe f.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. I11 a lamp for generating and burning acetylene gas, the combination with the lampbody, of a water vessel, a gas-chamber, a carbid-chamber below the gas-chamber,a burner, connections between the gaschamber and burner, a nipple for the outlet of water from the water vessel to the carbid-chamber, a hollow stem seated around the nipple, and connections between the hollow stem and the cock of the burner for controlling the supply of water to the carbid,substantially as described.

2. The combination in a lamp for generat ing acetylene gas, of an upper water-chamber, a lower gas-chamber separated there from by a diaphragm, a gas-pipe passing through said diaphragm and the water-chamber, and a second escape pipe passing downward through said water-chamberand through said diaphragm and leading to the open air, substantially as described.

3. I11 a lamp for generating and burning acetylene gas, the combination with the lampbody, of a water vessel, a gas-chamber, a carbid-chamber below the gas-chamber,a burner, connections between the gas-chamber and the burner, a nipple for the outlet of water from the Water vesselto the carbid-chamber, a hollow stem seated around the nipple, an opening at the upper end of the stem for the escape of gas under excessive pressure, means for allowing the escape of gas from above the water in the water-chamber to the open air, and connections between the hollow stem and the cock of the burner for controlling the supply of water to the carbid, substantially as described.

4. The combination in a lamp for generating and burning acetylene gas, having a burner, of a gas-chamber, a carbid-chamber below and having open communication with the gas-chamber, a water-chamber above the gas-chamber, said water-chamber connecting directly, by a tube passing through the gaschamber, with the carbid-chamber, connection between said tube and the open air for the escape of gas under excessive pressure, a water vessel extending above the burner, a pipe connecting said water vessel with said water-chamber, means for drying the gas located between the gas-chamber and burner, and means connected with the cock of the burner for controlling the flow of fluid from the Water-chamber to the carbid-chamber, substantially as described.

5. The combination in a lamp for generating and burning acetylene gas, having a burner, of a gas-chamber, a carbid-chamber below and having open communication with the gas-chamber, a water-chamber above the gas-chamber, said water-chamber connecting directly, by a coiled capillary tube passing through the gas-chamber, with the carbidchamber, a water vessel extending above the burner, a pipe connecting said water vessel with said water-chamber, means for drying the gas located between the gas-chamber and burner, and means connected with the cock of the burner for controlling the flow of fluid from the water-chamber to the carbid-chamber, substantially as described.

6. The combination in a lamp for generating and burning acetylene gas havingaburner and a reflector, of a gas-chamber, a carbidchamber below said gas-chamber and having open communication therewith, a waterchamber above the gas-chamber, a water vessel above the water-chamber, means for maintaining a permanent level of water in the water-chamber comprising a single water-pipe connecting the water vessel with the waterchamber, the lower end of said pipe being normally sealed by the surface of the water in said chamber, a pipe connecting the gaschamber and burner, and means connected with the cock of the burner for controlling the supply of water to'the carbid-chamber, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

E. N. DICKERSON.

Witnesses:

LI. COUTANT, W. LAIRD GOLDSBOROUGH. 

